


Crimson Melodies, Gray Thoughts

by Grumpy_Bubble_Tea



Category: Transistor (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28203048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grumpy_Bubble_Tea/pseuds/Grumpy_Bubble_Tea
Summary: A story taking place several years before Transistor, closer to the start of Red's career and her friendship with The Boxer/Mr. Nobody/Auden. This is my Supergiant Secret Santa gift for Dee Moyza! I hope you enjoy your fic and have a wonderful holiday!
Relationships: Red/Subject | The Boxer
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Crimson Melodies, Gray Thoughts

_“I could tell you loved me. Long before the words ever left your lips, Auden.”_

_“Really?”_

_“Really. You always said it with your eyes.”_

* * *

Having a bodyguard was an almost surreal experience to the woman. 

Today marked about 4 months since she’d first met him. The two were seated in Junction Jan’s, paper plates laid before them with slices of seafood flatbread-a meal he’d gotten her addicted to-sitting dormantly on them just waiting to be eaten. The singer sat across from the boxer, who was busy scarfing down what was perhaps his 5th, maybe 6th slice? Admittedly, she’d lost count several minutes ago, now simply residing herself to chuckling as she picked up her 2nd. 

He paused in the middle of his bite and raised an inquisitive eyebrow, pulling the slice away from his lips. “What?” 

“Oh, nothing.” She shook her head, red curls swaying gently with her movements. She still wore a slight grin on her face, laughing softly for a moment longer before finally taking a bite of her own food. 

“Nothing?” 

Red made sure to finish the bite of pizza in her mouth before she responded after dabbing away some sauce from her lip with her napkin. “Nothing. Make sure you get enough to eat. Oh, and Auden?” 

He nodded at her, assuring she already had his full attention. “Yeah, Red?” 

“Don’t forget to wipe your mouth.” She chuckled, offering over a napkin she hadn’t used. Auden, caught dumbfounded for a moment, turned fairly crimson in the cheeks as he accepted it. He mumbled a thank you (even in embarrassment, he was never one to forget his manners towards her) and wiped at the crimson-colored sauce left on his lips and cheek. 

Red watched through amused blue eyes, fairly curled as they smiled along with her lips that were stained with a fading red color as her lipstick came off more and more with each bite. Having recently turned 22, Red was still a budding musician, and at times like these she knew to take advantage of her growing career to enjoy time out. In her wildest dreams, she was a singer known by everyone and anyone, yet even she knew fame came with a lack of privacy. She always thought that, if she ever reached such a peak in her career, she would miss out on moments like these. No cameras in her face, no fans bombarding her for autographs, just peace and quiet with the man who kept her safe. She knew to take advantage of it for as long as she could. 

Auden was admittedly thankful for it as well. Sure, it made his job easier as he didn’t have to guard her through crowds or push away crazed fans every few seconds, but in all honesty? He was more than happy to merely see her safe. To see those blue eyes dazzle with joy and serenity, to see her smile, to hear her laugh, to hold her close when they entered the venues she managed to book performances at. The job paid well and he found himself not having to do too much work, but the real joy of it all was merely being able to preserve a star in the sky like her. 

“... Auden?” Her voice breaks him away from his thoughts. He blinks, lowering the napkin he didn’t realize he still had in his hands. 

“Uh, Yeah, Red?” 

“Is… Something up?” She furrowed her brows, not with anger, but with confusion. 

“No?” He shook his head in response, his hair gently swaying with his movements. “Why do you ask?”

“You were staring.” Red finally laughed, softly, and only briefly, but enough to make his heart flutter like butterfly wings in his chest and want to burst free from the cage of his ribs to float into her embrace. All he could do was mutter yet another apology and finish off his slice of pizza. 

“What were you thinking about?” One of her arms propped up on the table and she set her chin in her hand to rest. Her long, curled ringlets of bold red hair dangled in the air briefly before growing still as she settled. Caught in a spotlight, Auden averted his eyes for a brief moment as he wracked his brain for a timely response. It was like going through a filing cabinet for the right answer, flipping through desperate pages, throwing out useless responses because he couldn’t just say, _‘You looked beautiful,’_ or, _‘I got lost in your eyes.’_

You know. The truth. 

It would’ve been weird, because he was her bodyguard, she was his client, and he was confident she didn’t have any interest in him. Even if she did, there were so many things to worry about now, like her career. She had priorities and he had respect for them, just as much as he had love for her. 

But when a good idea finally struck him, a light went off in his eyes as a confident twinkle, and he found himself able to face her once more. “Ah, nothing,” He had to play it off in a cool manner to keep his composure, “Just the day we met.” 

“That wasn’t that long ago. You make it sound like it was forever ago.” 

“We’ve been so busy these last few months, it feels like it was forever ago.” He only chuckled, shrugging, prompting Red to laugh along with him. His shoulders relaxed once more and he sat back in his seat, calm and comfortable again in her presence. 

“Speaking of being busy,” He started once again, causing Red to cease her laughter to listen intently, “You got another performance tomorrow, yeah?” 

Red had hints of a smile at the ends of her lips as she grabbed herself another slice from the box between them and set it on her plate. “If you can call it that. It’s just an open mic I like to do. Nothing official.” 

“Do you need me to--”

“It’s alright, Auden. Just a cafe performance. I don’t think I’ll need a bodyguard.” She shook her head as she picked up the soda bottle she had ordered with her meal and took a sip after bringing it to her lips. Just as she finished tilting her head back and downing some of her pop, she heard him speak once more. 

“... May I come, Red?” His tone had grown softer, gentle now.

“... I don’t need a bodyguard.” She repeated herself, shaking her head, setting the bottle back down on the table. Her arms folded underneath her chest as she watched him deflate in his seat with a sigh. 

“Buuut… If you want to come as an audience member and walk home with me afterwards…” Red left the question open, a grin finding its way onto her face, to which Auden immediately lit up with joy. 

“I’ll be there.” He answered immediately, almost too quick for his own tastes, feeling his cheeks warm up as she chuckled at his words. 

“Then I look forward to it.” 

* * *

Red performed in such a way that Auden believed she had been born to be on stage. Truly. 

The lights poured onto her from above, radiating onto her like little suns against the vast horizon. Her eyes dazzled, bright and blue, like the sunlight’s rays reflecting off the ocean’s crisp waves. She usually sang with the mic cradled in her hands while it remained perched on its stand like a bird. She swayed back and forth with the gentle, yet intoxicating rhythm of the music, and each lyric flowed freely from her pink lips, hanging in the air. With every note, every octave, every adlib, Auden found himself in a trance. Even from where he sat, in the back of the cafe, behind rows of other audience members, he could make her out clearly. 

The rest of the crowd was, perhaps, just as enamored as he was. They all sat in their seats, some with legs crossed, some with sitting back entirely as others leaned forward in their chairs. Drinks sat idly on tables, mugs, plastic cups, untouched. Some straws stained in lipstick from sips taken earlier, but no one had dared taken any sips now, too invested in the woman performing before them. Even plates of chocolate croissants or toasted bagels sat idly, not a crumb out of place yet, all too consumed in the music to focus on their meals. Couples, lone eaters, and groups of friends seated in the venue all watched with twinkling eyes and astonished smiles as Red sang her heart out before them. 

But she was more than a talented singer to Auden. 

It wasn’t just her voice he fell in love with, nor her sophisticated and elegant clothing style, nor bold red hair. It wasn’t just her stage presence either that kept him wrapped around her finger. 

It was her smile, her laugh. The fiery attitude behind those bright red curls, the life in those ocean eyes, the passion within her that served as foundation for every word she sang when she stood on a stage with a microphone before her. She always had a way of making him laugh. She was a hard worker too, staying up countless nights to write songs, and leaving Auden to have to physically set her in bed some nights when he dropped her off at home. Her energy took him by surprise some days, woke him up even, gave him a reason to look forward to waking up everyday. He wasn’t too sure about this bodyguard business when he first started-- He just needed the extra money, really. 

But for Red? He’d be a bodyguard for the rest of his life, happily. 

He hardly felt she even needed one. She wasn’t weak by any means, nor clumsy. He’d even taught her a thing or two about boxing himself, just to give her some extra security, should she ever find herself in a sticky situation on her own. One night, nearly a month ago, he’d even ask her if she would keep him around if her label didn’t insist she have a bodyguard with her. 

_‘Of course I would.’_ She’d answer, sparing him an almost annoyed, offended look. As if to say, _‘Why would I ever want to get rid of you? Are you mad?’_

He blinked, taken aback himself, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes darted away in thought before he looked back at her, watching as the annoyance in her face softened. 

_‘... Sorry.’_ Her voice was quieter now. _‘But… No, I wouldn’t get rid of you.’_

_‘Why? Do I… Make you feel safer, Red?’_ He looked down at her, watching as she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, looking up at him with shining eyes dazzling amidst a gray background of a dark, stormy evening sky. He’d been walking her home.

Her shoulders rose and fell in a quick shrug. _‘Yeah, I guess so. But... Honestly, I just like you, Auden.’_

_I just like you, Auden._

_‘I like having you around.’_ She elaborated. _‘I’m happy to know someone like you.’_

The words resonated in him almost everyday. Without fail, the moment they rang in his head like church bells, he found himself smiling. A warm, comforting feeling settled in his chest--in his heart--as if comforted by them, as if swaddled in a blanket of affections. It was Red who made him lose all track of time, and now it was her who pulled him back to the present, with that beautiful voice of hers as she neared the end of her song. He’d almost consider it a tragedy that he hadn’t been able to hear more of it if he wasn’t distracting himself with the thought of her. 

_‘I’m… Happy to know someone like you too, Red. Honest.’_

As soon as the singer’s serenade had ceased and the crimson melodies flowing through the room had come to a stop, the sound of applause quickly replaced them, cheers and whistles erupting like volcanoes. Red bowed her head to her listeners, a small but grateful nonetheless smile crossing her face. 

He was almost disappointed at the ceasing of her song. Her voice was addicting, and rich yet sweet, like a fine wine. She had the perfect voice for jazz, her preferred genre of music, and Auden could listen to it almost daily. You’d think a man would go mad, listening to the same melodic voice and same sultry melodies day after day, yet he felt he couldn’t go a full day without hearing it now. He didn’t want to think of the day he’d have to stop seeing her shine on stage and hearing her give her all into that microphone. Auden had been in many terrifying situations he never wished himself to see again, but the day Red would be rendered silent? 

That was a true nightmare to him. 

Even just the way she hummed to tunes under her breath had him in a trance. 

It would seem those thoughts of his, fuzzing his mind like ash-colored clouds filling a vast sky, had him in a trance even now. He’d been staring at her, again, only pulled from his gray thoughts with he heard Red’s honey-like chuckle and heard the sound of her chair’s legs squeaking against the wooden floor beneath them as she pulled out her seat and sat down. As always, she crossed one leg over the other at the ankles and let the heel of one of her feet rest against the floorboards. She was still smiling as she met his gaze, her bright blue eyes locked with his duller, calmer almond brown ones. 

Auden, finding himself unsure of what to say just yet (for he knew words would fail him, for all he even had to say were sappy compliments on her singing), simply picked up his mug and took a long sip of the black coffee he had ordered some time ago. He prayed the porcelain white mug in his callous, bandaged hand could hide the faint blush and hints of a smile at the ends of his cheeks that she always brought out in him. He couldn’t believe how soft he became when she was around. It really didn’t suit his tough image, he thought. 

Imagine. A scarred, muscled boxer with hands bearing bandage wraps and a towering height over most if not all that crossed him, brought to his knees by a curly-haired damsel with the voice of an angel. The Auden who, this time last year, spent his nights either downing cup after cup of whiskey at the bar or punching the smug grin off sweaty competitors in the ring would never believe where he would end up here and now. 

The tall glasses of hard liquor became short snow-colored mugs with freshly brewed coffee or cups of chamomile tea with honey delicately stirred in. The red and purple bruises on his hands, accompanied by small cuts and half-healed scars now hid behind the bandages Red herself had given him. His nights walking home alone at ungodly hours through harsh downpour were now carefree strolls down sidewalks, arms sometimes linked if she insisted on it, and the silence in his life was filled with her voice. 

His life was all monochrome until she came in, painting his days in bright yellows, vibrant blues, and loud reds. At one point, Auden had lived paycheck to paycheck with not a single true close friend to his name and, truthfully, hardly a reason to stay in Cloudbank. And that was what always reminded him that this job was the best damn decision he had ever made. 

_‘And trust me,’_ He’d say, in a low, tired tone, _‘I’ve made some poor decisions.’_

But before he could reflect on it any longer, the singer finally spoke up, idly stirring her striped straw around in her tea. 

“I take it you liked the song, Auden?” She had an eyebrow raised with a rather smug expression. God, he just knew if this had been anyone else looking at him in such a taunting way he’d knock the look clean off their face. Or, at least, he’d really want to. He swallowed the coffee in his mouth and finally set the mug down (and it was then that he realized just how warm his hand had become from holding it. Just how long had it let it settle in his grip?). 

“I-It was alright,” He managed to get out, the usual hint of suave he had to his voice only hindered now by her teasing. “I mean, yeah. You’re a hell of a singer, Red. I think you were born to be on a stage, for real.” 

“... I… Thank you.” This time, it was Red’s turn to turn fairly pink in the cheeks, much to Auden’s surprise. He could hardly believe his eyes when he saw her smile quietly, tucking hair behind her ear and looking down at the light brown liquid sitting still in her mug. Her tone was calm, genuine, relishing in the warmth of his words. In return, his shoulders relaxed and his own expression softened into a warm smile in return. 

“You’re welcome, Red. ‘S my pleasure.” 

Her previous smile was gorgeous, all of them were, really. But the one awarded to him now, of true, genuine appreciation and love, was one he wished he could just snap a photo of, frame it, and hang it up for the world to see.

He spent the entire walk to her apartment thinking about it. 

* * *

This was far from the first time he had walked her to her doorstep. He’d already done it so many times, he forgot just how many times it’d been, in just the few months they’d been working together. He often escorted her home after shows, big and small, with her by his side, under his umbrella if need be and, more than once now, wearing his black coat with the wheat yellow triangle on the back. 

_‘I’m really not that cold…’_ She had insisted once, though her arms were wrapped around herself and he noticed how gently she shivered and shook as the chilly air of the evening nipped at her skin. If he watched her long enough, he could even see her teeth chatter every few moments. 

_‘Neither am I, so you can wear it.’_ He responded back, setting the jacket on her shoulders and making sure it sat on her snugly. It was just a little too big for her, which made him chuckle as he wrapped her in it. _‘It looks better on you anyways.’_

Her sillier side came out at the compliment, prompting her to strike a pose; She turned her back to him and looked over her shoulder, her hair falling over it and her red bangs bouncing against her forehead. 

_‘Oh? Does it now?’_ She smirked, locking eyes with Auden, an azure gaze meeting rocky eyes before they both broke into merry laughter together. She fell out of her pose just as quickly as she’d gone into it and resumed her walk, holding onto the folds of the coat to keep it wrapped around her. 

Even now, as he watched her unlock her front door, he could imagine the way it swaddled her. Like an infant in a blanket, or perhaps more fittingly, like being held in your lover’s warm embrace. As she pushed the door open and stepped in, she looked back towards him. Her face wore a small smile, though her eyes had a hint of solemn, and perhaps, disappointment. 

They both knew this was where they separated for the night. 

“... You should go straight to bed. I know you gotta be at least a little tired after all that singing tonight, yeah?” In an attempt to keep the mood light, Auden offered a warmer smile down at her, his hands leisurely hanging out the sides of his pockets. “A star’s gotta sleep if she’s gunna shine again tomorrow.” 

At his words, he could see her cheeks turn rosy, even if only faintly. Rarely could he ever fluster her half as much as she rendered him speechless or made him red in the face, so to see her embarrassed, and yet so loved and flattered?

It made his heart want to sing its own melody.

“Don’t you stay up too late either, okay?” After averting her eyes from how flustered she had been, she finally collected herself enough to meet his gentle, loving gaze. 

“You got it, Red. I promise.” He nodded and reached ahead to give her hair a light ruffle, cautious not to mess up her curls too much, as he knew how much she loved them. Playfully, she swatted his hand away anyways and, just before entering her apartment and shutting her door, she pulled him into a hug. It was quick, almost too brief for either of their liking, but he felt her arms wrap around him and settle on his back and her head come to rest on his as if it were a pillow. And just as quickly as he had registered these feelings, she had scurried back inside and shut the door, mumbling a rushed, “Goodnight!” 

“... Pfft. Good night, Red.” 


End file.
